Chapter 58: Counter-Kill and Being Counter-Killed

Seeing that the time was right, Ethan activated the "Lever" skill, instantly amplifying his power sixfold, elevating his strength to a master level. To prevent Brison from escaping, he turned on the "Duel Cage" switch and tossed it to the ground. A circular iron cage, about fifteen meters in diameter, sprang up, trapping both of them inside.

Relieved after securing the cage, Ethan raised his sword and launched an attack. He intended to maintain a safe distance and slash at Brison, aiming to further exhaust him. Surprisingly, with the enhanced power, he could now leave marks on Brison's armor, which previously showed no signs of damage.

Ethan noticed that severing the copper circuits on the armor extinguished their glow, causing the corresponding limb to lose mobility. Focusing on these circuits, he targeted Brison's arms and legs. In just a few minutes, he completely disabled Brison's movement. Brison lay on the ground like a motionless human-shaped tin can.

However, Ethan faced a dilemma: the armor had no visible vents or eye slits, making it impossible to find a weak spot. He resorted to repeatedly hacking at the neck armor, hoping to eventually decapitate Brison. It felt absurd to him that a master-level knight had to resort to such crude methods to "open a can."

Inside the armor, Brison remained motionless, letting Ethan continue his assault. Despite being trapped, he wasn't panicked, confident that Ethan couldn't harm him immediately. His only frustration was the pitfall that had caused him to lose mobility. Cursing the "damned pitfall," he closed his eyes and began meditating to recover his mana.

Unbeknownst to Ethan, his advantage stemmed from a seemingly insignificant act. Upon landing, he had noticed the single road leading directly to the camp, vulnerable to a cavalry charge. Initially planning to set up barricades, he decided against it, realizing that they were cumbersome and easily destroyed. Remembering the ancient pitfall traps left by his ancestors, he had casually dug a few along the road. Little did he know how effective they would be.

As Ethan continued hacking at Brison's neck, he finally managed to create a gap in the armor. Just as he prepared to finish the job, the armor suddenly started emitting steam. Sensing danger, Ethan quickly retreated. A moment later, with a loud explosion, the armor self-destructed. Despite having some forewarning, Ethan was still thrown back by the blast, crashing into the cage's barrier.

Thankfully, Ethan had used his sword to shield himself from the brunt of the explosion, escaping severe injury. As he got up to assess the situation, a black-robed figure with a silver mask emerged from the remains of the armor. In the figure's hand, a speck of fire sparked ominously.

Realizing that Brison was a mage, Ethan remembered Aphrael's warning about never using the "Duel Cage" against a mage and felt a cold sweat run down his back. His heart raced as he prayed that Brison wasn't a curse mage. The fireball in Brison's hand flew towards Ethan, who had no choice but to block it with his sword.

"Boom!" The fireball exploded upon contact with Ethan's sword, sending a massive pillar of fire shooting into the sky. The explosion hurled Ethan across the cage, everything around him seemingly frozen in time. Through the flames, he saw another fireball forming in Brison's hand, his blood running cold.

Ignoring his pain, Ethan used the counterattack from blocking the explosion to desperately swing his sword. A wave of invisible sword energy shot towards Brison, shattering his protective shield with a glass-breaking sound. Brison stood frozen, his hand still holding the dying fireball, as blood began seeping from his neck. Moments later, his head fell to the ground, his lifeless eyes wide open.

Ethan, too, crashed heavily into the cage, coughing up blood. He used his sword to prop himself up, preventing a complete collapse. His right hand was severely burned, blood seeping from the charred flesh, and his clothes were on fire, turning him into a human torch. Despite the pain, Ethan lacked the strength to extinguish the flames.

With a clanging sound, his champion blade snapped in half. Ethan collapsed, barely conscious, his last thought being, "Damn mages."

When Ethan woke up again, he found himself lying in bed, heavily bandaged. Angelina sat in a chair beside him, her hair disheveled, looking like a vagrant. Her face was pale and haggard, her lips dry and cracked, as if she hadn't had water in days. She had fallen asleep in the chair, utterly exhausted.

Seeing Angelina in such a state filled Ethan with guilt. He slowly sat up, using the ancient bear's regeneration skill to heal his injuries. After some time, the door creaked open, and Aphrael walked in, carrying a cup of coffee. Seeing Ethan awake, she smiled.

"You're awake!" she said.

Hearing her voice, Angelina instantly woke up, her face lighting up with joy.

"Ethan, you're finally awake! Why didn't you wake me?" she exclaimed.

Feeling much better after using his regeneration skill, Ethan smiled back. "I didn't want to wake you; you looked so exhausted. How long was I out?"

"Five days! Are you hungry? I'll get you something to eat."

"I'm a bit thirsty."

"Oh, wait a moment." Angelina quickly left to fetch hot water.

Watching Angelina's hurried steps, Aphrael smiled. "You're lucky to have such a devoted wife. She hasn't slept properly in five days. She's been changing your bandages and cleaning you every day. You owe your recovery partly to her."

"I know. She's been through a lot," Ethan replied weakly. "But what happened to me? Why do I feel so weak?"

Aphrael chuckled. "Don't worry. You suffered severe internal injuries. Although serious, your body is strong enough to survive. But you really amazed me. When I saw that mage cast Flame Burst, I thought you were dead for sure. But you blocked it with your sword and even managed to counter-kill him. That's just unbelievable!"